J. Lee Thompson

A woman is walking to her car in the parking garage. She gets in and has trouble starting her car. Three thugs appear, break into her car, force her out, and begin to rape her when Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) appears out of nowhere. He shoots the first two thugs, but wounds the third. He follows the third mugger as he attempts to escape the parking garage, but Kersey quickly blocks the exit. The third mugger pleads for his life, but Paul shoots him dead. He rolls the criminal over with his foot, and reveals the criminal to be himself. It is then revealed that the whole assault was a dream as Paul wakes up in a cold sweat. The next morning, a young woman enters Paul's architectural design office in Los Angeles, and it is revealed to be Erica (Dana Barron). Paul is dating her mother Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz). Erica goes out later that evening with her boyfriend Randy Viscovich (Jesse Dabson) to the arcade to meet up with Jojo (Héctor Mercado) and his buddy. Jojo offers Erica crack, and she dies from an overdose. The next night (without any explanation), Paul follows Randy to the arcade where Randy confronts Jojo and threatens to go to the police and tell them everything. Jojo kills Randy to prevent this. Kersey shoots JoJo, who falls onto the electrified roof of the bumper car ride. Paul arrives back at his house where he receives a note and a phone call from publisher Nathan White (John P. Ryan), who tells him that he knows about the death of JoJo. Nathan explains to Kersey that after Nathan's wife died, his daughter became his whole life. Then she became addicted to drugs and died of an overdose. Nathan wants to hire Kersey to wipe out the drug trade in L.A. and in particular to target Ed Zacharias (Perry Lopez) and Jack Romero (Mike Moroff), rival drug kingpins who are the city's two main drug suppliers. Kersey asks for a few days to think about it, and after a few days, he accepts Nathan's offer. Nathan supplies Kersey with weapons and information so Kersey can go after Zacharias and Romero. All the while, two L.A. detectives, Reiner (George Dickerson) and Phil Nozaki (Soon-Tek Oh), are on Paul's trail of destruction. Paul infiltrates Zacharias's mansion where Ed Zacharias is throwing an elaborate birthday party. As Paul Kersey bugs Zacharias's phone, he unwittingly witnesses Zacharias murder one of his colleagues, Vincent, due to betrayal. Zacharias captures Paul, and tells him to help take Vincent's body out in order for his silence. Another of Zacharias's gang's members offers to help, and they take the body out and hide it in the trunk of the car. Knowing that he is to be killed, Paul kills the hired hit-man in self-defense and walks away from the crime scene. Paul kills three more men in an Italian restaurant, kills a drug dealer disguised as a video store owner and two of his assistants, as well as Romero's top hit-man, Frank Bauggs (David Fonteno). All the while Zacharias and the Romero brothers begin to suspect each other's involvement. Eight more of Zacharias's men are killed at the fisherman's wharf by Kersey. Zacharias is informed by Nozaki, revealed to be corrupt, to kill whoever is setting him up. Nozaki tracks Kersey at work and tries to get information out of him. Nozaki attempts to kill Kersey, but Kersey shoots him dead. Detective Reiner learns about Nozaki's death (not knowing about his corruption) and swears vengeance on the vigilante Kersey. In an act of retribution, Zacharias calls Jack and wants to talk to him. They arrange a meeting place at the oil fields. Kersey is already there and fires his rifle. Zacharias thinks that it is Jack's crew who is doing it and opens fire. They kill each other as Kersey kills Tony and Zacharias. Nathan calls, congratulating Kersey on a job well done, and asks to meet with him tonight. Kersey arrives at the meeting place, but Nathan sends his limo driver instead. Kersey hops in the limo, and realizes he's been set-up after the limo driver jumps in White's car. Kersey shoots the back window with the PP and makes it out before the limo explodes. Kersey forces his way into Nathan's house demanding to see Nathan. An old man living there claims to be the real Nathan White (Richard Aherne), having returned from a three-month vacation. Kersey drives back to his apartment, only to be pulled over and arrested by two cops. On the way to the downtown police station, Paul immediately recognizes them as impostors. He flips over the car, killing one, and knocking the other unconscious. Back at his apartment, Paul Kersey comes face-to-face with Reiner. Kersey tries to inform Reiner about his partner's corruption, but Reiner does not buy his story. The impostor Nathan White (his true name isn't revealed) is mad that Kersey is still alive, and uses Karen to lure him into a trap. He leaves a message but hangs up before Kersey is given time to answer. To get away from Reiner, Kersey pretends to speak to him and knocks Reiner out cold. He pulls a rifle with a grenade launcher from his gun rack. Kersey arrives with car at the meeting place. The car rolls forward as White orders his men to open fire. They spray the car with bullet holes before realizing Paul's not in the car. Kersey fires a grenade, killing three as the car explodes. He also shoots Jesse's car, with Jesse inside, as he makes his escape. Kersey follows them into the roller rink where he kills six more thugs. White escapes through the back door as Kersey follows. Karen escapes his grasp but is shot in the back while attempting to run. Realizing White is now out of bullets and distraught by Karen's death, Kersey fires a grenade that finishes him off. Reiner arrives and orders him to surrender, threatening to shoot as Kersey walks away. Kersey replies: "Do whatever you have to." Reiner lets him go.

Framed for his ex-wife's murder by a parolee he once put behind bars, Los Angeles cop Jack Murphy escapes from custody to capture the killer, but he is now handcuffed to a foul-mouthed thief he had only just arrested. Charles Bronson plays Jack Murphy a veteran police detective who is framed for the murder of his ex-wife. Although taken into custody, Murphy escapes from the police station handcuffed to a foul-mouthed car thief. Pursued by the police, Murphy must find the real killer before it is too late. —Michael A Kortt <mkortt@metz.une.edu.au> Jack Murphy is a tough, antisocial cop. Things are not good for him right now; he just killed the brother of a mobster, and is now marked for death. His wife left him and is now an exotic dancer, and is trying to get her to come back to him and when she shuns him, he drowns his sorrows in the bottle. And if that isn't enough, it seems like someone is stalking him but before going after him, this person wants to torment him first. And what this person does is kill his wife and frame him. Murphy would be arrested and is handcuffed to a young street kid, whom he arrested earlier. They escape and Murphy tries to find out who did this to him. —rcs0411@yahoo.com

In 1840s Missouri, young Huckleberry Finn, wanting to escape his violent drunkard father, joins Black runaway slave Jim on a quest for freedom down the Mississippi River on a raft. Huckleberry Finn, a rambuctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River. Accompanying him is Jim, a slave running away from being sold. Together the two strike a bond of friendship that takes them through harrowing events and thrilling adventures. —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net> In Hannibal, Missouri in the mid nineteenth century, young Huckleberry Finn and his guardians' slave, Jim, run away independently of each other but for the same reason. Huck's no good father is holding Huck for ransom, the only way Huck's guardians can come up with the money is to sell Jim to the slave traders. After leaving, Jim runs into Huck and they decide to travel together down the Mississippi River on a raft to the free state of Illinois where Jim can live free. They learn that the news around Hannibal is that Jim murdered Huck, so the two have no choice but to escape. On their travels, they run into one adventure after another, including run-ins with wealthy Colonel Grangeford and his unusual family, slave traders, and con men known as the King and Duke. But before they get to their final destination, Huck changes their collective plans for what he feels is the best for both. —Huggo

Following a North American pandemic from a space-borne disease that wiped out all dogs and cats in 1983, the government has become a series of Schutzstaffel-patterned police states that took chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans as pets before establishing a culture based on ape slave labor. These events were foretold in 1973 as testimony by two chimpanzee scientists who came from the distant future, Cornelius and Zira, before they were killed. Widely believed to be dead, their baby was secretly raised by the circus owner Armando as a young horseback rider. In 1991, now fully grown and named Caesar, the ape is brought to one of the cities to distribute flyers for Armando's circus. During their trip, Armando advises Caesar not to speak in public for fear of his life. After seeing a gorilla being beaten and drugged, Caesar shouts "Lousy human bastards!". Armando attempts to defuse the ensuing commotion by taking responsibility for the exclamation. He plans to turn himself in to the authorities and bluff his way out while instructing Caesar to hide among the apes for safety. Caesar obeys and hides in a cage of orangutans, finding himself being trained for slavery through violent conditioning. He is then sold at auction to Governor Breck. Caesar is then put to work by Breck's chief aide MacDonald, whose African American heritage allows him to sympathize with the apes to the disgust of his boss. Meanwhile, Armando is interrogated by Inspector Kolp, who suspects his "circus ape" is the child of Cornelius and Zira. Kolp's assistant puts Armando under a machine that psychologically forces people to be truthful. Realizing he cannot fight the machine, Armando jumps through a window and dies. When Caesar learns of Armando's death, he loses faith in human kindness. In secret, he begins teaching the apes combat and has them gather weapons. Unfortunately, Breck eventually learns that Caesar is the ape the police are hunting. Meanwhile, Caesar realizes MacDonald is an ally to the apes' cause and reveals himself to him. MacDonald understands Caesar's intent to depose Breck, but expresses his doubts about the revolution's effectiveness. Caesar is later captured by Breck's men and is electrically tortured into speaking. Hearing him speak, Breck orders Caesar to be killed. With MacDonald's help, the heroes manage to trick Breck into believing Caesar died. Once Breck leaves, Caesar kills his torturer and escapes. To build his numbers, Caesar takes over Ape Management. While setting the city on fire, Caesar and the rest of the apes proceed to the command center, killing most of the riot police that attempt to stop them in the process. After succeeding in this, Caesar has Breck marched out to be executed. MacDonald pleads with Caesar not to succumb to brutality and be merciful to the former masters. Caesar ignores him, deciding to dedicate his life to man's downfall. This is the original uncut ending of the movie. After a bad reception from the first audiences due to its dark tone, the ending was reworked to add a dubbed follow-up to the speech from Caesar: As the apes raise their rifles to beat Breck to death, Caesar's girlfriend Lisa voices her objection, saying "No!". She is the first ape to speak other than Caesar, but the other apes are concerned about Caesar's bloodlust as well. Caesar reconsiders and orders the apes to lower their weapons, deciding that they can afford to be humane, since the fight is already won and they "have seen the birth of the planet of the apes".

When a dying Apache chief gives him a map to a valley of gold, Marshal Sam Mackenna is forced to guide a gang of bandits across the Arizona deserts to the treasure.

Workers employed at a French vineyard quietly follow old pagan rituals that call for the life of the marquis owner to save his crops during dry seasons. Vineyard owner Marquis Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) is called back to his castle Bellenac because of another dry season. He asks his wife and children to remain in Paris, but they still come after him--and his wife Catherine de Montfaucon (Deborah Kerr) soon discovers that her husband is acting mysteriously and that his employees are following old pagan rituals that call for the life of the Marquis to save the crops. —Mattias Thuresson The family of Marquis Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) has long been the major landowner in Bellenac, a wine-growing region in France. Philippe heads back to the family vineyard from his home in Paris when he learns that problems in the fields are threatening the crops. Against Philippe's wishes, his wife, Marquise Catherine de Montfaucon (Deborah Kerr), decides to follow Philippe back to Bellenac, bringing their two adolescent children, Jacques (Robert Duncan) and Antoinette (Suky Appleby). Once they arrive, Catherine sees what she believes is disturbing behavior. Young-adult siblings Christian (David Hemmings) and Odile de Caray (Sharon Tate), whose family has also lived in the region for generations, have been hanging around the estate. Catherine witnesses Christian killing a dove with the bow and arrow he seems to be brandishing at all times, and Odile seems to have a hypnotic power over anyone in her sights. Worse, Philippe seems to be in a transfixed state while in Bellenac. Although the lives of Catherine and the children are threatened by Christian and Odile's actions, Catherine decides to stay just to figure out what is happening and to save Philippe, who also seems to be under some threat. By the time she eventually learns what is going on and why Philippe didn't want the family to come to Bellenac, it might be too late to save Philippe--and perhaps Jacques--from their evil destiny, as was the fate of many men of the de Montfaucon family in Bellenac over the generations. —Huggo

On the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the Native American tribe of chief Black Eagle clashes with the Mayan tribe of king Balam. In order to flee from powerful enemies, young Mayan king Balam leads his people north across the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of what will become the United States. They build a home in the new land but come into conflict with a tribe of Native Americans led by their chief, Black Eagle, while both Balam and Black Eagle fall in love with the beautiful Mayan princess Ixchel. —Bruno Antony

In the 16th-century Ukraine, the Polish overlords and Ukrainian cossacks fight for control of the land but frequent Turkish invasions force them to unite against the common Turkish foe. A "Romeo and Juliet" story that takes place in the late 16 c. Ukraine. Taras has settled into comfortable farm life after years of adventures and swashbuckling with his cossack companions. Though not wealthy, he is able to send his son Andrii away to a Polish school. At this time the Poles are overlords of Ukraine and the origin of the cossacks is struggle of the Ukrainian serfs to free themselves and their land of Polish domination. Toward this end Taras hopes that his son will be educated in the ways of the enemy. Instead, Andrii falls in love with the daughter of a Polish nobleman, setting the stage for a clash between love, family honor, and a struggle for national identity. —Anonymous The Cossacks of Eastern Europe join the Poles to rid the Turks from the Steps of Europe. In return for their aid, the Poles agree to give control of the Steps to the Cossacks. After the battle, however, the Poles back out of their agreement and force the Cossacks into the hills. Taras Bulba, a Cossack Colonel, raises his son, Andrei Bulba to learn the ways of the Poles so he can one day defeat them in battle. In his learning process, however, Andrei falls in love with the daughter of a Polish Nobleman. This twist causes Andrei Bulba to choose between the love of the Cossacks, and the love of a woman, and causes Taras Bulba to choose between the love of his son, and the love of the Cossacks. —Anonymous

A man (Robert Mitchum) enters a courthouse and asks for Sam Bowden. He watches Sam (Gregory Peck) in a trial, then follows him to his car, re-introducing himself as Max Cady. Max makes vaguely threatening comments as Sam drives off. Later, Max watches Sam and his family bowling, and makes a pass at the waitress. Sam calls police chief Dutton (Martin Balsam) and tells him that Max is being creepy. He explains that Max is an ex-convict who may have a grudge against Sam, and that Sam's family may be at risk. Dutton calls his deputies and tells them to pick up Max for vagrancy. Max cooperates and obviously knows the law, so they release him. The next day, Sam finds their dog, poisoned. Sam suspects Max but cannot prove it. His wife Peggy (Polly Bergen) and daughter Nancy (Lori Martin) are distraught, and Sam explains about Max. Max hires a fiery lawyer, Dave Grafton (Jack Kruschen), who accuses the police of harassing Max. Dutton tells Sam he cannot do anything until Max commits a crime, but advises Sam to hire private detective Charles Sievers. Sievers (Telly Savalas) starts following Max. He calls the police to have Max picked up for lewd vagrancy, but by the time they arrive, Max is gone, and the woman he was with (Barrie Chase) is beaten up. She refuses to help them and leaves town, fearful of Max's revenge. Sievers suggests Sam hire a dock thug, but he refuses. The next day, Sam catches Max leering at his daughter and takes a swing at him. Max doesn't punch back. Coming out from school, Nancy sees Max and flees, eventually running in front of a car. She's ok, but anger builds in Sam, and he gets a gun. Peggy convinces him not to go after Max. Sam meets Max in a bar and tries to pay him off. Max says he prefers "death by a thousand cuts", and turns him down. Sam hires the thugs to beat up Max, but he fights them off. Max calls Sam and tells him that he has the law on his side. Sam and Peggy discuss a plan to use Nancy as bait. San tells Dutton that he will "hide" his family in a boat on the Cape Fear River, then asks for a deputy to help him catch Max. Sam and Deputy Kersek (Page Slattery) stake out the boat. Max arrives and sneaks up on Kersek, killing him. He sets the boat with Peggy on it adrift, and Sam chases after. Nancy calls the sheriff from the dock. Max attacks Peggy, but leaves for Nancy when Sam arrives. Sam and Max fight; Sam shoots Max, and Max begs Sam to finish him off. Sam declines, saying Max will rot in jail. The family leaves together.

British soldiers are sent on a mission to dismantle two large German guns guarding the Greek island of Navarone and making the evacuation of endangered British troops on a neighboring island impossible.